Since I came this far to visit a friend in Philadelphia, I wanted to take advantage of being here, since I’m not sure when I’ll be in the neighborhood again. Because of that, I booked a hotel by Valley Forge and planned to spend time today (7/13/17) in Trenton.

By the time I actually located my hotel (a fiasco that’s a story for another place) and navigated through the construction and traffic to actually reach the right entrance, I discovered I was unable to check in (despite the website claiming 24 hour check-in. Apparently, it was not the official website.) So, I left already frustrated with this leg of the journey.

Navigating around New Jersey is nothing like navigating around Virginia. I desperately missed the times of going hours as the only car going in my direction and one of only a handful on the road. But, finally, I made it to Trenton. Now to figure out where to go. If I had such famous events as “The Turning Point of the American Revolution” to my credit, I would shout it from the mountaintops. I mean, this is how we became a nation! But, to find places in Trenton requires a bit more work. After a bit of sleuthing (trying to decide where to actually go), I landed on the Visitor Center for Washington’s Crossing Historic Park. I navigated around a path, illegally backed up, went the wrong way on a one way, and finally ended up in a parking lot for the center. All the lights were off.

Inside the Visitor Center. I’m not sure where you weren’t supposed to take pictures, so I included a far away shot.

I went in, and the lone man at the desk informed me he had the lights off to help with the heat. Understandable. I paid my $1.00 to see the movie (I offered to pay the park entrance fee as no one had been at the gate, but he said they only charge on weekends.) and started to look around. This is actually an incredible site with some incredible artifacts, including some of the first medals given out to a number of military men who made a huge difference in the American Revolution. The movie explains about the time leading up to the American Revolution. While the museum may not seem like much, the directors were apparently all at the American Revolution Museum in Philadelphia deciding how they wanted to make this museum better. But, he assures me that project is still 6-10 years down the road.

One of the most interesting things I learned is that the story of the Hessians being hungover for the Battle of Trenton is a myth! The site calls it the biggest myth in American History that is even in school textbooks. But, the series of skirmishes in the area and the journals of the Hessians revealed that they were on guard against Washington and his men. The fact that the weather was horrible (freezing rain at our backs and in our enemy’s face, which also affected their gunpowder) and that Washington had crossed undetected and attacked forcefully made the real difference.

After looking through the museum, I asked the curator what he would recommend in town. He drew me a map to the Old Barracks Museum and the Monument, but told me to head down to the Johnson Ferry houses. One of the historians was down there, and she would be “a good one to talk to.” He was more right than he knew.

The Johnson Ferry House

When I asked at the Ferry House, one of the historians said the other would be better as she’d grown up here and had been a docent here forever, whereas she was only a lowly seasonal employee (for 9 years!). But, she brought down Nancy Ceperley, who is a jewel indeed. For the next hour or so, Nancy and I sat on chairs in the Johnson house and talked about Washington. We discussed the fact that he was an eloquent man, reserved, focused, and determined. Nancy believes his aspirations to be in the gentry class stem from a desire to be able to serve on a greater level. Our conversation then turned to Washington’s faith. She mentioned his many letters and family observations that he was a deeply Christian man–not just a religious or moral man. We discussed his mason involvement, and the fact that the masons changed after Washington was in it, and that men at the time wrote to Washington to see if he could stop the changes, but he had a country to create by that time, and wrote that he could not focus on that at the time.

Lighting in the Johnson Ferry House

Our conversation then turned to the Crossing of the Delaware–the painting, the event, and the people who lived in this house located in a loyalist state who were willing to help Washington actively with ferrying troops and simply with their silence about the plan. What a great risk they took! This launched Nancy into a favorite subject of hers: The Great Awakening. While she covers the aspects of the house that are of interest to whichever visitors she has, her true passion and course of study is the affect the Great Awakening had in preparing for the American Revolution. Were it not for that event pulling people together and giving them the principles, determination, and resolve to see Independence achieved, things might have been very different.

Replica of the flat boats that ferried troops and supplies

What an incredible privilege to meet Nancy! We prayed together for the state of our nation today and for our respective roles in serving the public. She gave me a copy of her book Whitefield in Philadelphia: The Great Awakening of 1740, for which she spent years researching the connection between the Great Awakening and the American Revolution. I can’t wait to read it!

Washington’s Crossing spot

As I stepped out to head to my car, contemplating the difference between my Turbo tour of yesterday, and this jewel, where I could literally sit for hours for a personal conversation with an expert, it began to pour rain! So, I drove down to the crossing site and took pictures of the boat replica in the pouring rain. But, as it was around 5:00, most things were closing. Though I drove by the Old Barracks Museum and the War Memorial, I didn’t have opportunity to visit either. Perhaps I’ll make it back before I head home. But, regardless, I had an incredible day enjoying two of New Jersey’s hidden treasures!